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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-25-1997 Minutes MINUTES MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING JUNE 25, 1997 COUNCIL CHAMBERS This is the time and place set for an adjourned regular meeting of the Mayor and Common Council of the City of San Bernardino from the adjourned regular meeting held at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 18, 1997, in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 300 North "D" Street, San Bernardino, California. The City Clerk has caused to be posted the order of adjournment of said meeting held on Wednesday, June 18, 1997, and has on file in the Office of the City Clerk an affidavit of said posting together with a copy of said order which was posted at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 18, 1997, on the door of the place at which said meeting was held. The adjourned regular meeting of the Mayor and Common Council of the City of San Bernardino was called to order by Mayor Pro Tem Miller at 5:40 p.m., Wednesday, June 25, 1997, in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 300 North "D" Street, San Bernardino, California. ROLL CALL Roll call was taken by City Clerk Rachel Clark with the following being present: Mayor Pro Tem Miller: Council Members Negrete, Arias, Oberhelman, Anderson, Miller: City Attorney Penman, City Clerk Rachel Clark, Acting city Administrator Wilson. Absent: Mayor Minor; Council Members Curlin, Devlin. BUDGET DELIBERATIONS - FISCAL YEAR 1997/98 - DISCUSS & TAKE POSSIBLE ACTION (Continued from June 18, 1997) (1) Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, distributed a memorandum dated June 25, 1997, regarding revisions to previously distributed budget reduction documents. Bonnie Landa, Animal Control Officer, Animal Control Department, spoke in opposition to the proposed lay-off of one Animal Control Officer in the Department, and stated that the department would be losing its Animal Shelter Operations Manager through the Golden Handshake retirement program. Council Member Negrete noted that the retirement of the Animal Shelter Operations Manager was new information, and was not discussed during the Department's budget reduction presentation to the Mayor and Common Council. 06/25/1997 1 PARKS, RECREATION & COMMUNITY SERVICES Annie Ramos, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services explained in detail how the proposed five percent budget reduction totalling $244,600 would impact the department's operations and ability to provide services as outlined on pages 20 - 24 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, dated June 12, 1997. COUNCIL MEMBER CURLIN ARRIVED At 5:50 p.m., Council Member Curlin arrived at the Council meeting and took his place at the council table. Director Ramos answered questions from the Mayor and Common Council regarding the proposed budget reductions. MAYOR MINOR ARRIVED At 5:57 p.m., Mayor Minor arrived at the Council meeting and took his place at the council table. Mrs. Ramos explained that any employee retirements through the Golden Handshake retirement program would addition to the proposed five percent budget reductions. taken be in COUNCIL MEMBER DEVLIN ARRIVED At 5:58 p.m., Council Member Devlin arrived at the Council meeting and took his place at the council table. PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT Barbara Dillon, Director of Personnel, explained in detail how the proposed five percent budget reduction totalling $15,000 would impact the department's operations and ability to provide services as outlined on page 25 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, dated June 12, 1997: and revised on page 2 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson dated June 25, 1997. Director Dillon answered questions from the Mayor and Common Council regarding the proposed budget reductions. PLANNING & BUILDING SERVICES Mike Hays, Director of Planning & Building Services, explained in detail how the proposed five percent budget reduction totalling $92,100 would impact the department's operations and services as outlined on pages 26 28 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, dated June 12, 1997. Director Hays answered questions from the Mayor and Common Council regarding the proposed budget reductions and how the proposed recommendations would impact the department's ability to 06/25/1997 2 provide services at a time when all sectors of development are on the rise for the first time in recent years. RECESS MEETING At 6:48 p.m., Mayor Minor declared a ten-minute recess. RECONVENE MEETING At 7: 01 p. m., Mayor Minor reconvened meeting of the Mayor and Common Council Bernardino. the adjourned regular of the City of San ROLL CALL Roll call was taken by City Clerk Rachel Clark with the following being present: Mayor Minor; Council Members Negrete, Curlin, Arias, Oberhelman, Devlin, Anderson, Miller: City Attorney Penman, City Clerk Rachel Clark, Acting City Administrator Wilson. Absent: None. BUDGET DELIBERATIONS - FISCAL YEAR 1997/98 - DISCUSS & TAKE POSSIBLE ACTION (Continued from June 18, 1997) (1) PUBLIC SERVICES Jim Howell, Director of Public Services, explained in detail how the proposed five percent budget reduction totalling $627,600 would impact the department's operations and services as outlined on pages 29 - 36 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, dated June 12, 1997: and revised on page 3 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, dated June 25, 1997. Director Howell answered questions from the Mayor and Common Council regarding the proposed budget reductions, and explained that several of the original budget reduction measures have been eliminated due to several Golden Handshake program retirements within the department, and that these changes are explained on page 3 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, dated June 25, 1997. Mr. Howell explained that any employee retirements taken through the Golden Handshake retirement program would be a part of the proposed five percent budget reductions; and how the elimination of Assessment District No. 994, the city-wide street sweeping, street lighting, and graffiti abatement assessment district, has significantly impacted the department's budget and ability to provide services. Council Member Oberhelman was opposed to Mr. Howell including the employee retirements taken through the Golden Handshake retirement program as part of the proposed five percent budget reductions, and stated that was not his recollection of the 06/25/1997 3 decision made on how the Golden Handshake retirement program had been approved for implementation. Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, stated that the Mayor and Common Council had not given specific authorization or denial to Department Heads regarding whether they could include any employee retirements taken through the Golden Handshake retirement program as part of their departmehtal five percent budget reductions. He explained that such an approval or denial was a policy decision for the Mayor and Common Council to make as one aspect of balancing the City's Fiscal Year 1997/98 budget. Discussion ensued regarding the possible negative impacts employee retirements taken through the Golden Handshake retirement program could have on departments if they were not permitted to be factored into the five percent budget reduction measures. Acting City Administrator Wilson explained that employees have until October 1, 1997 to make a decision and notify their Department Heads whether they would be taking advantage of the opportunity to retire through the Golden Handshake retirement program offered by the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). Director Howell continued to answer questions from the Mayor and Common Council regarding the proposed budget reductions. City Attorney Penman explained that a recent California Supreme Court decision, dated May 15, 1997, may have a bearing on whether the Mayor and Common Council can pursue discussion of whether or not to privatize the Public Services Department's Refuse Division for garbage collection services. Specifically, the California Supreme Court has concluded that the Civil Service system has to be protected from privatization, and that to preserve the integrity of the Civil Service system from political influences services can only be privatized, or outsourced, where a finding can be made by the department and the Mayor and Common Council that 1) it is more cost effective to privatize, or outsource, the service: and 2) that the current in-house Civil Service employees performing the job are not performing the job competently, and cannot competently do the job. The only exception to this ruling is that if the City is looking at a new function that has not been performed before by Civil Service employees, then this ruling does not apply and the City does not have to make such a finding. PUBLIC WORKS/ENGINEERING Roger Hardgrave, Director of Public Works/Engineering, eXplained in detail how the proposed five percent budget reduction totalling $43,600 would impact the department's operations and services as outlined on pages 37 - 38 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, dated June 12, 1997. 06/25/1997 4 Director Hardgrave answered questions from the Mayor and Common Council regarding the proposed budget reductions. RECESS MEETING At 7:55 p.m., Mayor Minor declared a ten-minute recess. RECONVENE MEETING At 8: 04 p. m., Mayor Minor reconvened meeting of the Mayor and Common Council Bernardino. the adjourned regular of the City of San ROLL CALL Roll call was taken by City Clerk Rachel Clark with the following being present: Mayor Minor; Council Members Negrete, Curlin, Arias, Oberhelman, Devlin, Anderson, Miller; City Attorney Penman, City Clerk Rachel Clark, Acting City Administrator Wilson. Absent: None. BUDGET DELIBERATIONS - FISCAL YEAR 1997/98 - DISCUSS & TAKE POSSIBLE ACTION (Continued from June 18, 1997) (1) POLICE DEPARTMENT Lee Dean, Chief of Police, explained in detail how the proposed five percent budget reductior. totalling $431,924 would impact the department's operations and ability to provide services as outlined on pages 1 - 11 of the document from Chief Dean dated June 11, 1997; and revised on pages 4 - 10 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, dated June 25, 1997. Chief Dean answered questions from the Mayor and Common Council regarding the proposed budget reductions. City Attorney Penman reminded the Mayor and Common Council that a recent California Supreme Court decision dated May 15, 1997 may have a bearing on the Police Department's recommendation to privatize certain services as he previously explained regarding an option for the Public Services Department. Jeff Carr, representing the San Bernardino Public Employees Association, SBPEA, expressed concern regarding two of the Police Department's proposed budget reduction measures, Item Nos. Seven and Eight, and requested that the Mayor and Common Council direct staff to take these two items to the City's Privatization Committee for review. This would permit the Privatization Committee to make a recommendation to the Mayor and Common Council prior to their consideration during this meeting. Barbara Dillon, Director of Personnel, advised the Mayor and Common Council that she has already asked the City's Privatization Committee to meet and review Item Nos. Seven and Eight of the 06/25/1997 5 Police Department's budget reduction recommendations: and that all Police Department personnel reductions would take place through attrition, not lay-offs. CODE COMPLIANCE Bill Skiles, Manager of the Code Compliance Division, explained in detail how the proposed five percent budget reduction totalling $124,500 would impact the department's operations and services as outlined on page 9 of the memorandum from Fred Wilson, Acting City Administrator, dated June 12, 1997. Mr. Skiles answered questions from the Mayor and Common Council regarding the proposed budget reductions. PRESENTATION FINAL REPORT FROM THE BUDGET COMMITTEE (Continued from June 18, 1997) AD HOC (2) No action was taken on this matter. ADJOURNMENT (3) At 8:31 p.m., the adjourned regular meeting recessed to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, June 26, 1997, in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 300 North "D" Street, San Bernardino, California. RACHEL CLARK City Clerk By ,;,ji:f (;Lv~. '7f;~: //L. Melanie Miller Deputy City Clerk No. of Items: 3 No. of Hours: 3 06/25/1997 6